Thread: Ghost Writer of Memoirs

This is a long shot but has anyone here ever written someone else's memoirs? I'm in the process of doing just that. I think I'll be able to sell it but I was wondering what the split for the money is?

Do we both get represented by an agent? I'm doing all the writing but it's all his story.

Thanks,

CWR

if you are the ghost writer then the one who pays you is the one who deals with agent and publisher... and is the one whose name goes on the cover... unless your contract specifies some other arrangement...

and you should not be writing a word without a standard ghostwriting contract in place... signed only after your own literary attorney has looked it over!...

normally, a ghost writer is paid a fee, so there is no split... fees run from the low thousands to tens of thousands, depending on the experience/track record of the writer... all you have to do is google for 'ghostwriting fees' to see what a wide range there is... in both fees and expertise, as many who advertise aren't all that good at it...

you will have no standing in re the finished book... the one who pays you to write it will own the copyright and be the only one who can sell it and will have his/her name on it as 'author'... no one but the two of you and his/her agent and publisher will know who actually did the writing...

now, if you're doing this 'on spec' just hoping it will sell after you write it, and are not being paid to do so, then it's not 'ghostwriting'... it's 'collaboration'... and you still need a contract, to protect your rights and make sure you get paid properly, if it ever sells... and there lies the rub... most stuff like this never does sell... so, if you're not charging a fee, you're risking doing a lot of work for nothing...

i help/mentor many writers who do such things, as well as having been asked too many times to count, to do it myself, so feel free to email me for more info, if this doesn't do it...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com